The Winning Friends
by Stessa
Summary: Stargazing Magazine had a contest to find the best group of Friends in the country. Guess who they chose... ? [all the Friends are included]


_So, yeah. I know I'm in the middle of "What Love Can Do", but I had to write this. I'm working on the next chapter though, plus on the next chapter of my fic with AK-Tutti, "One Words is Enough". This was just something, and it's based on a dream I had last night, and I found it irresistible to write about it. It's just a quick stand-alone. Anyway, this fic sorta doesn't have any meaning. All the Friends are included, plus myself and my 3 best friends… Anyway R I don't own Friends. They belong to the marvellous Bright, Kaufmann and Crane.

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**The Winning Friends**

Rachel rushed into the Coffee House, breathless.

The other five Friends were sitting around the coffee table, drinking their lattes and eating their cookies and cakes. (In Joey's case, a blueberry muffin, which he thought was funny looking)

"Guys!" Rachel exclaimed, shooting them a huge smile. Then she continued saying a bunch of stuff that none of them got.

"Rachel?" Monica said, "Could you please sit down, get your breath back, and then tell us? 'Cause seriously; didn't get a word of that!"

Rachel nodded and shot herself into the couch next to Ross. All of them looked at her, curiosity covering their faces. What was she gonna tell them?

Finally she swallowed a big lump and begun, "You know my secretary?"

"Yeah…" Joey trailed off, "Isn't she pretty hot? What was her name? Sarah?"

"No, it's Sofie" _(enter the first of my friends :p) _Rachel said, "But anyway… She came into my office this afternoon and told me that she'd nominated us for some sort of contest"

"What contest?" Ross looked confused, "Do we get to meet Donny?"

Rachel slapped his arm, "No! It's from this magazine". She took a very colourful magazine out of her purse and hold it up; "´Stargazing´"

"I've never seen that before" Monica said, taking it.

"What is it about?" Phoebe asked.

"Apparently a lot of things" Rachel said, "But they've had this contest going for such a long time. I didn't catch much of what she said, but she told me to look at page 19."

Monica quickly flipped through the magazine and found page 19., "Here it is" she said.

"What is it about?" Chandler asked.

"Hmm…" Monica quickly read through the lines, but then her eyes lit up; "Okay listen: _…and since America have so many sitcoms and TV-series about friends and friendships, we have decided to find the best group of friends in the country. If you have a tight group of friends, or if you know a group of friends who deserves this honour, send us an e-mail. The best group of friends will be announced in May_. Woow, is it this?"

Rachel nodded, "Could be, but us?"

"If you think about it" Ross said, "We are a pretty funny group"

"Yeah" Chandler said, "Could we be more different?"

"Oh wait!" Monica said, "Page 15 have some of the nominees"

"Look at it, quick!" Phoebe smiled, "God, I'm so excited!"

Monica found page 15, and looked through it, "Oh, there we are!"

"What!?" Rachel exclaimed, "Have we been in a magazine without knowing?"

"No" Monica said, "Not a picture anyway, but a description. Apparently people can guess who's gonna win, and then get some nice gifts. It just tells a little about us. Sofie must have written this"

"But why did she only tell us now?" Joey asked, "I mean, after we've been in the magazine?"

Rachel smiled secretly at them, "Well, apparently we've won"

"What!?" Monica exclaimed.

"Well, the editor in chief, called Sofie and told her. They're coming to do an interview with us today, so Sofie thought we should now"

"Today!?" Monica said, getting excited, "When?"

"In an hour" Rachel said, checking her watch, "Why do you think I rushed down here? Sofie is coming with her, so…"

"Who's the editor in chief?" Ross asked.

"Maybe she's hot?" Joey continued.

Monica's eyes searched the last page, "Hmm, Stefania Holubko" _(enter meee! Couldn't help it ;p)_ she said, "Is she doing the interview?"

"Well, what I got from Sofie, yes" Rachel said, "But there's also coming a photographer and someone to do make-up or something"

"I cant wait!" Monica squealed.

"Yeah, this is huge" Phoebe said, obviously mocking her.

"Well, I'm gonna go up and change my clothes" Rachel said, standing up, "Coming with me, girls?"

"Yeah"

"Be right there"

--

Around an hour later, four women entered Central Perk._ (Me and my 3 friends, baby. They're my best gal pals!)_

One of them was carrying a camera, and a bag. One of them had a box, obviously filled with make-up. The third one was Rachel's secretary, Sofie Oestergaard, who was recognized by her sense of fashion style.

The fourth one, however, was clearly the leader. The editor in chief.

"There they are!" Sofie said, pointing at the friends, "Hi Rach"

Rachel stood up and went to hug Sofie _(God, if that was true?)_ . "Good to see you, Fie"

"You too" Sofie said, "This is Stefania, editor in chief at Stargazing magazine"

"Hi, nice to meet you" Rachel said, handing her her hand.

"You too" Stefania said, shaking it, "This Michelle Gail my photographer, and Sabine Larsen – make-up"

"Hi" Sabine said, smiling till them though her glasses.

"Hello" Michelle said, during a funny wave, "What's up?"

"Um," Rachel paused, "This is Monica Geller, Chandler Bing, Joey Tribbiani, Ross Geller and Phoebe Buffay. I'm Rachel Green"

"Oh" Stefania looked curiously at Monica and Ross, "Are the two of you married?"

"Oh no" Ross said, "I'm her older brother"

"I'm actually married to Chandler" Monica said, stroking her husbands arm.

"Okay" Stefania said, "I'll be asking Sofie a few question of why she nominated you guys, while Michelle and Sabine will take a few pictures, will that work?"

"That's okay" Phoebe said.

Stefania and Sofie sat down at one of the tables by the window, while Michelle and Sabine looked expectantly at the friends.

"So…" Michelle begun. She pointed at Monica and Chandler, "If the two of you're married, I'd like to take a few pics of you two together. Just so I have something to choose from. If you would please let Larsen _(That's my best friend, Sabine. We tend to call her by last name, dunno why)_ do your make-up. Otherwise the light will be reflected in your face"

"Fine by me" Monica said.

Sabine put the box at the coffee table and revealed all kinds of make-up that were possible.

"I'll just do a little foundation" she mumbled, picking a tube.

"Oh my God" Michelle said, catching Joey's face, "Aren't you Joey Tribbiani? The guy from ´Days of Our Lives´?!"_ (I swear to God, that girl knows more about TV-series than I do… Well, not about Friends, but I think that's the only one I can beat her at)_

"Yeah" Joey smiled, "So what about you? Single?"

"Like you wouldn't believe" Michelle said, shooting him the eyes.

"So, how you doin'?" Joey asked.

"Joey!" Phoebe said, "You cant hit on our photographer!"

"That's okay" Michelle laughed, "I cant go out with him anyway, I'm a Jehovah's Witnesses. Have to marry one of my own"

"Orgh, Damnit!" Joey cursed.

"I think we're ready now" Sabine interrupted, "Let me do the others. You can get these two"

Michelle nodded and turned to Monica and Chandler, "So… You guys want to shoot me a smile and lean against each other?"

Monica nodded and leaned her head against Chandler's back.

Michelle thought it was going really good, until she saw Chandler's smile, "What is wrong with your face?" she exclaimed.

"He cant smile" Monica said, "I tried to do a wedding announcement in the paper with a picture, but I had to take one of me and Joey instead"

Michelle laughed, "When I have to shoot him alone, I'll just have to be creative. Luckily I'm good at that, otherwise Stessa wouldn't have hired me"

"Stessa?" Monica questioned.

"Yeah, ms. Holubko over there" she nodded her head towards the table where Stefania and Sofie was sitting, "She's tough to please, I'll say. But she likes my pictures. And she is really sweet… when she wants to"

"I heard that, Michelle!" Stefania said. She turned around and smiled at them, "But I'll do the interview, you just click away while, okay? And Larsen, could you please get me a latte?". She sat down in the green chair and looked at the friends, "So, how come all of you guys are friends? From what Sofie tells me, you guys are quite different…"

Ross shot her a smile; _(Could that please be true?)_ "We just love each other; that's all"

--

"Look what I got, look what I got, look what I got!" Rachel giggled, storming into Central Perk, around a month later.

"Stargazing!?" Monica asked.

"Yeah, that's right!" Rachel said, "And look at the front page!" she hold up the magazine, and they saw a picture of them all in the orange couch, by the headline: **Best Friends – the Most Important Thing. **

"Uh, read more at page 20" Chandler said, "Quick, quick Gossip-Queen, we want to see!"

Rachel sat down by her friends and flipped through the magazine, finding the right page, "Oh, look at our pictures!"

There was a picture of each; Phoebe with her guitar. Ross with a dinosaur. Rachel looking through Cosmo. Monica with a cup of coffee. Chandler with his hand covering his mouth, and Joey with a blueberry muffin.

"It's so great!" Monica said, "We're looking good. Especially you Phoebs"

"Saying the obvious; I know" Phoebe said.

"Wow, Mon" Rachel said, "You and Chandler's picture is really, really wonderful"

"Yeah, that Michelle girl knew how to take pictures" Joey said, "A shame she couldn't go out with me?"

"I wonder if you _are_ gonna survive" Chandler sarcastically said.

"Oh, look, Stessa quoted me!" Ross exclaimed.

"Stessa?" Rachel said, filled with jealousy, "When did you get on pet name terms with her?"

"Don't worry, Rach" Ross said, "You know you're the only woman for me"

"How did she quote you, Ross?" Phoebe asked.

Ross looked at the lines, _"… and when I asked them why they could all be friends when they had such different personalities, Ross just said, ´We love each other; that's all´. Then the rest of us are left, wishing that we had a guy like him in our group of friends_"

"Awesome!" Joey said.

"I just cant believe that we're actually America's best group of friends" Rachel said, looking around.

"No, it's unbelievable" Monica said.

"But we are pretty cool" Chandler smiled.

"Speak for yourself, Chandler Bing" Phoebe said, "'Cause I'm freaking GREAT!"

"Oh look!" Rachel said, "She mentioned Smelly Cat. Aww…"

"It's the best song in the world" Ross smiled, looking at Phoebe, who had played the song for them before they left that day.

"Would you reach me that cookie?" Joey asked, pointing at the plate on the table.

When no-one answered, he leaned in to get it himself, but managed to slip off to couch instead.

"Joey!" Rachel laughed, helping him up.

He rubbed his head, "Damnit! I think I got a confusion"

"Concussion" Chandler automatically corrected.

"Yeah, that's what I said" Joey smiled.

Chandler looked at his other friends, "I think it was good that that editor in chief didn't get to see him like this, otherwise, how would that have ended?"

Joey looked around at his five best friends, wondering why they were all laughing of what Chandler said, and decided to join him. Because after all, they might not remind a lot of each other, but…

They loved each other; that was all.

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_Well then. Thank you for reading this little fic of mine. I will be back with new chapters of my other fics very soon, I can promise ;p Leave me a review. Thanks, Stessa._


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